A Work in Progress

Overview

Following the decline of Trumps Tavern and Noble Canteen, hospitality wizard Justin Hemmes is next in line to have a crack at 50 King Street in the CBD. And, for a while at least, his Merivale group are putting the focus on art.

The company recently acquired the space and is working on long-term plans for a refit. In the meantime, however, we're to be treated to a pop-up bar, opening May 2. Rather than the usual drinks and dinner, the temporary space will be home to a constantly changing art studio.

The project, knowingly called A Work In Progress, will be the progressive work of two stalwarts of the Australian art community. Curated by Glenn Barkley, formerly of the MCA, it will play host to the pop art stylings of Darwin-based Franck Gohier. It will be up to the two of them to transform the former bar into an evolving and interactive art space.

It wouldn’t be a Merivale establishment, though, without a little something to eat and a lot of something to drink. Joining the experiment are ex-Sailor's Thai chef Air Jantrakool and group bar manager Paul Mant, cooking up traditional Thai street food paired with a rotating menu of cocktails, both with a focus on local produce.

Apart from the potential disaster of spilling a plate of pad thai on a developing (and potentially valuable) canvas, the combination of art and boozing is a promising new turn from Merivale.

A Work in Progress is open for a limited (and unspecified) time from May 2.